Happy Weekend + Links I Love

What’s everyone doing this weekend? It’s so difficult to keep up with everything that’s going on in our world these days. It’s been one busy week at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. President Obama certainly has a lot on his plate – ISIS, Syria, Ebola, Russia’s involvement in Ukraine, the nuclear problem in Iran, and climate change.

+ “I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too.” This week, Emma Watson delivered a passionate speech to launch the UN’s HeForShe campaign that invites men to advocate for gender equality. Bravo Emma!

+ On Tuesday, world leaders gathered in New York for the week-long UN General Assembly. President Hassan Rouhani of Iran blamed U.S. wars and Western policies in the Middle East for creating extremist groups like ISIS saying, “Certain intelligence agencies have put blades in the hands of mad men, who now spare no one.”

+ Britain joins the coalition of nations launching airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq. British Parliament overwhelmingly approved, voting 524-43 to take part.

+ Must watch: Have you heard about I Am Eleven? It’s a documentary film exploring the lives and thoughts of children from 15 countries. Australian filmmaker Genevieve Bailey travelled the world for six years, talking to 11-year-olds and documenting how they see our world.

+ Health news:Grieving But Grateful, Ebola Survivors in Liberia Give Back. Bendu Borlay, who lost her big sister to Ebola is grieving, but giving back by caring for a 15-month-old baby girl who’s mother died of the virus. Now, this is the perfect example of showing gratitude in the midst of adversity.

+ Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson issued a videotaped apology to Michael Brown’s parents saying, “I am truly sorry for the loss of your son. I’m also sorry that it took so long to remove Michael from the street.” His apology sparked more protests. Despite calls for his resignation, Jackson isn’t budging – saying to CNN, “this is mine, and I’m taking ownership of it.”

+ Buggin’ out: A newly identified bug by the name of “Shellshock” is crawling around the internet. Security experts warned that the bug could be a bigger threat than Heartbleed. According to Dan Guido, “The Heartbleed bug allowed hackers to spy on computers but not take control of them.” Tod Beardsley, an engineering manager at a cybersecurity firm warned, “attackers can potentially take over the operating system, access confidential information, make changes.”

+ Chris Hemsworth plays a criminal hacker in Michael Mann’s ‘Blackhat’ out on January 16. Watch the trailer.

+ Cup of Jo Editor Caroline, a self-professed introvert stepped out of her comfort zone and chatted with strangers around NYC. The results were hilarious.

She is such an articulate, young woman and she’s going to achieve great things. I was really, really moved by her speech. I wasn’t prepared for how her words and her passion would affect me.
Just relaxing this weekend. I hope you enjoy yours as well! xo